Cash: The Autobiography [Hardcover]

Johnny Cash (Author), Patrick Carr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

He is the only entertainer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame: a distinction befitting a man who sang with Elvis in the '50s and with U2 in 1995. From his wild years of addiction to his loving faith in Christ, Johnny Cash embodies contradiction. Now, in an extraordinary autobiography, "the man in black" celebrates 65 years of life and a remarkably varied career, telling it straight--in his own words. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A humble, happy look back from the man in black. Johnny Cash answers to many names; he's JR to childhood friends and family, John to bandmates, and Johnny to fans. ``Cash'' is the name wife June Carter reserves for ``the star, the egomaniac.'' The star gets plenty of ink here, from the early days at Sun Records--with Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis--to his current status as a darling of the alternative rock set. But it's the private man who's most compelling and surprisingly complex. Cash writes candidly of his recurring addiction to amphetamines and his concomitant shortcomings as a father, addresses his spirituality without sounding maudlin, and displays genuine humility at his success and very little bitterness at his abandonment by the country music establishment. A more accurate subtitle might be ``The Second Autobiography,'' since this volume covers some of the same ground as Cash's previous work, The Man in Black (1986), but a life so chock full of oddments (he once started a forest fire with an automobile and on another occasion was nearly disemboweled by an ostrich) and renegade stands (he opposed Vietnam, heresy to the nation's blue- collar constituency) easily merits a second look. Organized around the domiciles where he divides his time--homes in Tennessee, Florida, and Jamaica, as well as his tour bus--the book stays grounded in the present, mixing reflections on his 40-year career with a running chronicle of an ongoing tour. This novel approach minimizes the as-told-to blahs that plague many a celebrity autobiography and highlights Cash's wry humor and introspection. With the help of Carr, editor of Country Music magazine, Cash keeps the pace lively until the end, when the roses he throws everyone from grandkids to music biz buddies bog things down. Mostly, though, a pungent, substantive autobiography from one the most iconoclastic talents on the American music scene. (32 pages b&w photos, not seen) ($200,000 ad/promo; author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

"Insightful, relaxed, and conversational. . . . The stories sing." -- New York Times

Much of the writing, whipped into shape by country-music journalist Carr, has the hypnotic power of good poetry. Though Cash exhibits a humorous streak (the Masons turned him down for membership on "moral grounds," and Patsy Cline once rejected his amorous advances), he's best at chronicling his amphetamine addiction. -- Entertainment Weekly

Occasionally he lets his pompadour down, and then the stories sing. The narrative overall is insightful, relaxed and conversational.... -- The New York Times Book Review, Tom Graves

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper San Francisco; 1st edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062515004
• ISBN-13: 978-0062515001
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Cash, Johnny
  • #46 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Country & Folk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Downhome Charm, November 3, 2003

By 

Karen A. Decoster (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Johnny Cash: The Autobiography (Mass Market Paperback)

Johnny Cash had a profound impact on the American music scene, and much of that was due to his 1990s revival via his four American Recordings albums. This is a simplistic, downhome bio of Americana's Johnny, and though it's not sparkling in form, prose, or organization, it comes straight from Johnny's heart. It's well worth reading if you want to know a little more about how the man views life and learning.

It's not the most *interesting* bio, but it's a look-see into his soul. He's simple, he's straightforward, and he's honest, though he's not too giving of all the details. Hence his lack of candor. One thing you do grab from this is how Johnny and June were soulmates, how they shared life's best and worst moments, and how Johnny knows and understands any mistakes he's made there. Thankfully, he doesn't practice victimology and blame the rest of the world for his problems. Instead, he tells us he looks to God for guidance.

He tells the reader a few stories that will be new to them, in regards to his life of celebrity. Other than that, this is not a summarization of all that he's done or where he's been, but instead, it's a small window through which he viewed life and its assorted players. Read it if you are really interested in Johnny Cash.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute delight to read! Johnny writes as if he's talking to you over a cup of coffee in the breakfast nook., February 8, 2006

By 

Just Bill (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cash: The Autobiography (Paperback)

I've recently become re-acquainted with the music of Johnny Cash. Thanks to seeing Walk the Line and buying Rick Rubin's astounding American recordings (American Recordings, Unchained, Solitary Man and The Man Comes Around), plus nearly all of Johnny's remastered CD back catalog (including the perfect The Legend box set), I've gained enormous respect for this charismatic and talented music star. I can't seem to get enough of him, in fact.

I wanted to know more about Johnny Cash. However, I nearly always approach biographies and autobiographies with a grain of salt, skeptical that they'll be (a) untruthful, or (b) unable to hold my attention.

With Cash: The Autobiography my natural skepticism was totally eliminated within the first 10 pages.

This book is wonderfully engaging. It reads exactly like a conversation with an old friend. In fact, I can hear Johnny's rich baritone voice in my head as I read it. I can picture his sincere face. And I'm enthralled.

If you want to know who Johnny Cash was, this book is a great introduction to the man. Not just because of what he wrote about; but, also, because of how it was written: conversationally, openly, honestly, and sincerely.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book. I love it.

I highly recommend Cash: The Autobiography.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cash is king, October 20, 2004

By 

Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cash: The Autobiography (Paperback)

Johnny Cash tells his life story in this book. It's not written in a linear style; he jumps all over the place to different times in his life. But it works; it comes across very conversationally, like Cash was in the room with you saying, "Oh, yeah, and then there was the time that this happened." It's a good read, and the Man in Black's fans should really enjoy it.